We've seen some strange marketing campaigns from automakers before, but this one is just dumb. The folks in charge of marketing over at Volkswagen decided that they needed some hands-on advertising to push their little Polo, so they came up with large magnets that look like car dents to put on other people's cars. The idea is to show how tough the little Polo is.
Most of us get pissed off when we see a flyer for cheap oil changes on our windshield, so we can't imagine being too thrilled about someone slapping a magnet on our paint job. Call us crazy, but we probably wouldn't appreciate the adrenaline rush that comes with "Holy crap what happened to my ca... oh, it's just a magnet." Somehow we don't think that scaring the heck out of a car owner will entice him or her to drop $15k on a VW.
Besides, what message does this bone-headed marketing campaign really send for the Polo? Is it: "Polo: the steering is so bad, you'll have little control when you try to park." Or could it be: "Polo: the car everybody else will hate because it reminds them of the stupid magnet that got stuck on their car." We like the idea of a small, affordable, fuel-efficient VW, but we'd prefer people not touching our cars or sticking things to them, for that matter.
[Source: VW via The German Car Blog]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Avinash machado @ Apr 17th 2007 1:06PM
If the Polo was sold in the US it would make a great alternative to the Fit,Yaris and Versa
Billy @ Apr 17th 2007 1:18PM
The only consequence of this I can imagine is to have people going around kicking nice big dents into any Polos they find parked. I guess I won't be buying a Polo!
BLS @ Apr 17th 2007 1:22PM
Better than plastic wrap.
Nick @ Apr 17th 2007 1:37PM
I actually think it's kind of cool.
JC3 @ Apr 17th 2007 1:39PM
Polo's need to go to 12 step and consider his motives.I think volkswagen likes to market their cars as having personal idiosyncroncies.And to think,Herbie was so well adusted.
bmoredlj @ Apr 17th 2007 1:40PM
I really don't see the big stink; magnets normally won't hurt the finish of a car, unless the owner has OCD about their finish. Student drivers in my state affix them to their bumpers or trunklids. That said, while marginally clever as a practical joke, the campaign doesn't make much sense. I don't know about Europeans, but most yanks freak out if someone paws their car, so it's probably best that the Polo isn't sold here.
chuck goolsbee @ Apr 17th 2007 1:57PM
I've never understood the whole 'DON'T TOUCH MY CAR!' mentality. Jebus.. it is a multi-ton slab of steel, merely touching it is NOT going to inflict serious damage.
When ever I put my car in a car show, I always scratch out the "do not touch" BS on the ID sign. In fact I go so far as putting a sign on the dash that INVITES people to touch it:
The Sign:
http://chuck.goolsbee.org/images/jag_sign1.jpg
The story about it:
http://chuck.goolsbee.org/archives/98
--chuck
Joey B. @ Apr 17th 2007 2:14PM
Touch my car and suffer the consequences.
ShaamanRyu @ Apr 17th 2007 2:23PM
I believe the Polo is advertised as the Rabbit in North America. Wait..nvm...Lupo = Rabbit....not Polo...
People who do advertising are usually...artsies...and like Health and Safety, they "live in a different world" (Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear, Season 5, on Dodge Viper SRT-10)
But if you think about it, there is no better way to advertise the Polo. Referring to a previous post, it's hard to sell small cars like the lupo or the polo in North America because the thing is, public transport (esp. in Greater Toronto Area) SUCKS. You might as well get a car instead if you had the money. Also, we need bigger cars over here for all our every day needs. They have to carry the whole family and they also have to be able to carry all our luggage when we go camping and stuff...not something a Polo can do.
vectorbug @ Apr 17th 2007 2:25PM
You're just pissed Ford didnt think of it first.
brimg87 @ Apr 17th 2007 2:32PM
"I've never understood the whole 'DON'T TOUCH MY CAR!' mentality. Jebus.. it is a multi-ton slab of steel, merely touching it is NOT going to inflict serious damage."
It doesn't matter how much steel it is, it still scratches the same. Some people would prefer to keep their cars nice, they scratch easier than you'd think.
Brandon @ Apr 17th 2007 2:33PM
This type of advertising speaks to me. It says "we've run out of good ideas, now let's find something annoying from the trash pile."
Fortunately, my car isn't steel, so it wouldn't stick anyway...
aliasfox @ Apr 17th 2007 2:36PM
I know of a computer company that had magnets last year promoting discounts in education - naturally, they were put on a bunch of cars at the university lot. Half a dozen professors called in to complain about the magnets... I don't think these would go over any better.
VW-Guy @ Apr 17th 2007 2:59PM
Hey Chris, the unbiased reporting really shows in your post, keep up the good work bro!!!
Mark @ Apr 17th 2007 3:07PM
Awesome unbiased reporting. This is pretty clever advertising. Why are you so freakin bitter?
paul34 @ Apr 17th 2007 3:15PM
Yea, and when someone (like me) gets upset that you just put swirls on my paint that I work hard to eliminate and avoid? You know, because I actually care about my car.
It's a little something called vandalism, and I would gladly press charges against anyone would put this on my car. It's just a slightly lesser version of keying someone's car.
Car Designer @ Apr 17th 2007 3:44PM
In many cities in the U.S. it is illegal to even put flyers on cars because they inevitably end up on the ground as trash when the cars owner sees it affixed to their vehicle. Some cities fine the company responsible for the flyers with fines some times as much as several dollars per flyer...imagine a mass marketing campaign with several hundred or thousand flyers discarded...and the cost of fines...I hope VW considers the fact that these will inevitably become litter.
Jaymez @ Apr 17th 2007 4:16PM
Run your fingers over my truck, and I'll run my truck over your fingers.
Magnets will damage your paint if left on long enough. All the ribbon and American flag magnets that became popular after 9/11 ruin paintjobs by trapping water and causing the paint to stain. The stains cannot be buffed out.
Scott Harris @ Apr 17th 2007 4:27PM
where can i get some of these?
Don @ Apr 17th 2007 4:50PM
Personally, I hate it when someone touches my car. I don't care if it's some poor schlub putting a flyer under my wiper.
DON'T TOUCH SOMEONE ELSE'S CAR!
Pretty simple, no?